Arcee and Knock Out
by theblondefairy
Summary: Following Optimus Prime's self-sacrifice and the defeat of Galvatron, the Decepticons finally disband, and the Autobots work together in attempts to restore Cybertron to its former glory. Tension between the Autobots and ex-Con Knock Out rise when he and Arcee become more than friends, and to make matters worse, Shockwave and Soundwave are at work to destroy the peace.
1. Chapter 1

I paced back and forth in the Autobot base, anticipation and worry clawing at me from the inside. I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on with the others while they were out investigating a place that was chock-full of danger. They had left via ground bridge to investigate a strong Energon signal that had been detected on Ratchet's radars, very near Darkmount, and had left me to guard the base. By an unspoken agreement between the Autobots and the only three Predacons left in existence, Darkmount was now home to Predaking, who for the first time had been keeping to himself and not chasing after anyone. He was an incredible ally to have, but to the ones who were on his bad side, he was an absolute terror, and nearly impossible to defeat in combat.

_Bumblebee told me he'd call in with an update,_ I thought, glancing repeatedly at the screen that showed the current status of everyone that had went out; Bee, Ultra Magnus, Smokescreen, Wheeljack… all of them were online, at least. I kept reminding myself that if one of them was physically injured, their on-screen identification image would flash red. So far that hadn't happened with any of them, but I still couldn't keep away the gnawing apprehension. _Everything will be fine. Everything…_

A deep-voiced chuckling made me stop pacing. Knock Out, who had been repairing a complicated-looking medical machine, was eyeing me from across the room, finding amusement at my distress.

"What?" I demanded, staring him straight in the optics. They were bright red, which was the unwavering evidence that he had been a 'Con. He had "joined the winning team" as he'd put it, and although the others were quick to welcome him, I didn't trust him one bit.

"You're looking worked up, Little Blue," Knock Out said, casually leaning against the wall. "Would you like me to help you relax?"

I was unable to hide my contempt; the mere thought of him getting near me made me shudder in distaste. "No," I said curtly. "And _don't_ call me that."

"Why not? It suits you well." Knock Out purred, slowly letting his optics drift from my face to the rest of my body, and back. When he met my livid gaze, he grinned.

"Don't -" I started, my servos balled into tight fists; a high-pitched beeping interrupted me, indicating that some mech was trying to get a message through the comm. link. My spark racing, I turned to the holographic screens, immediately forgetting Knock Out.

"Wheeljack to base," Wheeljack's voice came in with a small hint of urgency. Even if he was in a life or death situation, his Wrecker pride wouldn't let it show.

"Wheeljack?" I wondered aloud. Why was the group making him call base? He was always the one who was in on the action and didn't want to come back to responsibilities. Unless…

"We're experiencing a few… technical difficulties," Wheeljack continued; a huge _**CRASH**_ in the background followed by numerous shots of gunfire made my optics widen in shock, fearing for the safety of my allies. "Requesting a ground bridge pronto!"

Shockwave was back, and up to the usual underhanded Decepticon trickery. He had been waiting for Autobots to show up near the huge, newfound cave that was filled with energon crystals… in which he had booby-trapped with landmines and bombs. If not for Wheeljack and his skills pertaining to explosive weapons, none of them would have seen it coming. Fortunately, all of them returned without, according to Knock Out, any physical injuries whatsoever.

"I almost had him, too!" Bumblebee had said when they were all gathered in the base, his 'wings' drooping and his expression downcast. "He got away in his own ground bridge just as I got him in my sights."

It was still bizarre to me to hear Bumblebee with his real voice again, instead of the random beeping and chirping he'd been forced to use for so long. He had gotten it back after he'd died and then, through a great miracle, had came back online, stabbing Megatron straight through his spark and sending his body toppling back to Earth, where he had been presumed dead once and for all. But of course, good things never last long enough.

Ultra Magnus stepped forward, deep in thought. "Shockwave having access to a ground bridge makes me wonder who it is that's assisting him."

"Could be Soundwave," Knock Out said calmly as he looked over Smokescreen and Wheeljack once more. Despite the two persisting that they were fine, Knock Out was scanning their internal parts to be completely sure that there was no damage.

"Soundwave is the only Cybertronian we know of that can just pop out a ground bridge whenever he wants," Wheeljack said, glaring down at his pedes. "And as far as we know, he's stuck in the Shadowzone."

"Exactly. _As far as you know,_" Knock Out said; dismissively, he added, "Shockwave's got the neuro-processor. I wouldn't doubt his ability to bring Soundwave back." Having finished checking for injuries, he started towards the doctor's quarters that were connected to the main area of the base without looking back.

I stared at the back of Knock Out's head acidly as he left, hoping that he felt my gaze. _He knows something we don't, _I thought, fighting the urge to yell at him then and there. Instead, I turned my attention to Bumblebee and the problem at hand, trying to keep my jumbled thoughts together.


	2. Chapter 2

Sneaking out in the middle of the night hadn't been very difficult for me to do; all but a few of the Vehicons keeping watch were deep in recharge. _Besides,_ I thought as I lithely traversed past the Vehicon guards, keeping to the shadows, _there isn't exactly any protocol to follow at the moment, and there aren't really any rules, except for during a time of crisis. The worst Ultra Magnus can do is give me a reprimand._

I was zooming down the flat metal path that, since being on Earth, reminded me of what humans called a "highway", leading to Darkmount. In my alt. form, I could reach breakneck speeds, faster than nearly any Cybertronian I knew of that used a land-based alt. form. I didn't have the physical strength that most mechs had, due to my size and the unavoidable disadvantages of being a femme, but my agility and shooting precision made up for it.

_Now that I'm back home, I don't have to worry about a human seeing a motorcycle flying down the road without anyone driving it,_ I thought; I would have laughed if the form I was in had vents and an intake. Having adapted to Earth in order to stay hidden from the majority of the planet's population, I'd had to make a hologram of a human on my alt. form's seat when I was somewhere humans could see me. Ever since meeting Jack Darby, though, I hadn't had to use the hologram much at all; I'd taken Jack for rides as much as I could, for both his and my own enjoyment and, more importantly, to ensure his safety. Associating with the Autobots had put him in constant danger of Decepticon attack.

A pang of grief washed over me as I thought of him. I never would have thought that I'd miss any human as much as I did now, even if they had gotten under my skin a lot; Jack, Rafael, even the troublesome little Miko. They were more than just allies to me… they'd become family. Sometime soon, I wanted to go back to their planet and check up on them.

The sky was black, except for the endless number of stars that twinkled and shined down at me. Ahead, but still a ways away was Darkmount; towering, foreboding, so murky that it blended in with the sky's infinite darkness. The top of the stronghold I couldn't even see, it was so tall. The place was defended by equally huge protrusions of spiked metal surrounding it's walls that came out of the ground at all sorts of angles.

_Ugh, that place gives me the creeps, _I thought. _Glad that's not where I'm going. _As I continued to drive, I heard the faint but nearby sound of a revving engine coming from somewhere behind me; it sounded just like an Earth-based vehicle. After making a sharp u-turn that made an unpleasant screeching noise, I hit my brakes. Creeping forward a few inches, I turned my sole headlight on to it's brightest setting and scanned the surroundings. There wasn't much to hide behind besides a few giant metal boulders, and those were all within my range of fire. Projecting my voice, I shouted out, "Who's there?"

A few moments of silence passed, except for the steady idling of my engine; then, just as I was about to ask again, and this time threaten to attack, a sleek red sports car veered out from behind one of the boulders and transformed. It was an Aston Martin, to be exact.

I changed my form as well and groaned in irritation. "What do you want, Knock Out?"

"Your sweet adulation, my dear," he teased, moving towards me as if to touch me. I tensed, readying my fist in case I'd need to use it to ensure Knock Out of my feelings towards him. If he'd still been on the Decepticon side, I'd have already knocked him halfway across Cybertron. The urge to do so despite his alliance to the Autobots was overwhelming, especially in that moment. How dare he follow me? But, instead of making any moves, he walked right past me. Trying not to let my confusion show, I swiveled on my heels and kept my optics on him.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. I didn't care if Knock Out "told" on me, which I knew that he probably would in an "I'm-not-trying-to-spread-any-rumors, but…" fashion, but I still couldn't help feeling a slight sense of guilt for childishly sneaking out.

The red mech looked around as if searching for something, a servo on his hip. "I could ask you the same thing." he paused, studying me expectantly; when I didn't respond he continued, unaffected by my detachment to him. "I saw you pass by the base and thought it unusual for you to be out and about this late. So, I followed you, obviously… those Vehicons have always performed rather inadequately when it comes to being on guard duty." Knock Out chuckled. I was silent, my gaze on Darkmount. I didn't know where exactly the energon cave was without the coordinates from earlier, but I knew that it was around this area somewhere, and I was determined to find it.

Exasperated from my silence, Knock Out asked, "Why are you going alone?"

I still wasn't paying much attention to him. "Cliff came to me in a dream. He -" I stopped abruptly, pain and realization of what I'd said making my face heat up. I hadn't meant to reveal that much to Knock Out, and he was certainly the last mech I wanted to share my dreams with. Besides that, I would sound crazy if I actually said that I was heading to a potentially dangerous and unexplored location just because Cliffjumper, who was _idead/i_, had appeared in my dream and had told me to go there. And that he was waiting for me there…

I composed myself externally within a nano-cycle, hoping Knock Out hadn't noticed what I was feeling. But he had; he was looking at me, perplexed, and as he pieced together what little he knew of my past, his expression turned to one of pity. Before he could speak, however, I interrupted him; I knew what he was going to say.

"I don't need your sympathy," I said quietly, averting my gaze from him. "So you can stop pretending you care."

Knock Out moved closer to me and lightly touched my wrist. Anger surged within me, and I yanked my arm away. Glaring at him, I said, "Just leave me alone. Can't you see I'm better off that way?"

Knock Out met her gaze, optics burning like fire in the dusky gloom. "Honestly… no. I really can't see how you're better off alone. I _can _see… that you hurt when you don't have someone. Someone to… confide in."

At first I was stunned; where was Knock Out getting all this from? It didn't sound like anything he would ever say. It was too… caring, coming from him. I could feel my emotional guard that I'd slammed up like an impenetrable brick wall quavering slightly, threatening to break down piece by piece. Ever since Tailgate's death, negativity and emptiness gnawed at me constantly, took control of me, made me bitter and pessimistic; I pushed away anyone who tried to earn a place in my spark. There was a small, small piece of me that was desparate for a partner, but I didn't want to go through what I saw as spark-breaking, pointless hope a third time around.

"Look," I said, keeping my voice firm. "All the partners I've ever had have been _killed. _Don't you get it? I will _never_ -"

"Jack didn't die, did he?"

I was taken aback; I hadn't expected to hear that. But then again, I hadn't been expecting Knock Out to follow me, either. The two of us stared at each other for a while, each trying to read the other's processor. Then, it was as if something in me snapped; as Knock Out cautiously put his arms around me, I fell into him, tightly wrapping my arms around him as I broke down and sobbed.

The last time I had lost my cool like this had been with Cliffjumper over Tailgate. I hadn't meant to. It had just happened, uncontrollably, like it was happening again now, but this time instead of Cliff holding me, it was a mech that I had convinced myself I absolutely despised. _What in Primus is wrong with me? _I thought, my vents rapidly sucking in air I didn't need as I shook.

I could feel Knock Out's body stiffen as he tried to think of how to react; he wasn't used to comforting others, let alone a femme. But after a moment he relaxed, letting me hold onto him; he didn't complain of how a part of my arm guard was jabbing his lower chassis area, or get angry because I had probably put a scratch in his paint job, and by the AllSpark, that was definitely saying something, because a scratch on Knock Out's paint job meant absolute hell for everyone else. Instead he slowly, gently rocked with me from side to side, not saying much other than, "Shh. It's okay. Shh." He gazed up into the night sky, showing a strange sense of affection and protectiveness towards me. This was _definitely _not what I'd been expecting to happen.

I had eventually calmed down, and without saying another word dejectedly followed Knock Out back into Iacon, both of us remaining in robot mode the entire time. Knock Out hadn't needed to convince me not to go to the energon cave; my processor had cleared enough for me to realize that it would have been a foolish thing to do. To both of our relief, the Vehicons guarding the city let us pass by without questioning us of where we'd been. They'd probably been trained not to question Bots of higher ranking, anyway.

We were walking at an inert pace as we passed by the numerous buildings, all under standby construction. It was still fairly dark out; Knock Out could tell by where the two moons were in the sky that most of the Autobots would be waking from recharge in a little while. He looked over at me. I was walking close beside him, and my whole body sagged with exhaustion. My optics were lowered so that I was barely seeing where I was going; overall, I radiated melancholy.

Our walk drew on in silence. I'd already made it apparent that I didn't want anything to do with Knock Out, but after what had happened earlier that night, he more than likely believed that my feelings had changed. We were too different, him and I. He would never understand me. Why was he trying so hard to earn my affection?

He waited until we had reached the small building that I was using as my private resting quarters. I nearly walked right by the place; Knock Out slowed to a stop and cleared his vents suggestively.

I looked up as if snapping out of a daze. "Oh. Uh… sorry." I started for the automatic door, acting as if Knock Out wasn't there.

Knock Out laid his servo on my shoulder guard. I turned towards him. He was amazed that I wasn't showing any signs of being furious at him. I was just plain worn out and embarrassed.

"It's… pretty late. I could tell Ultra Mags you've come down with a virus and you need a day to recharge," Knock Out said, reluctantly letting go of me. Attempting at humor, he added, "Make myself sound like the professional doctor I am."

I laughed somewhat, meeting his optics with my own for a brief nano-cycle before looking away again. "I'll be alright." As if to prove so, I straightened my posture and smiled at Knock Out; it was the first time I had ever genuinely smiled at him. Reluctantly, I murmured, "Thank you. For tonight…"

Knock Out blinked, momentarily dazzled. "My pleasure, dearest," he said as he lifted one of my servos to his intake and kissed it without looking away from me. "Shall we do something like it again sometime? Except with more… fun?"

There was a moment of quiet; I was carefully thinking through what my next decision would bring for , having decided, my optics flashed with playfulness. Squeezing his servo, I replied, "I don't see why not."


	3. Chapter 3

"Arcee?"

I grudgingly turned to see that the innocent-sounding voice belonged to Bumblebee. For the past few days, I had been staying away from base as much as possible, and was instead helping Bulkhead and the Vehicons with rebuilding. I'd been avoiding the yellow mech; knowing Knock Out, he'd been bragging, mainly when Bumblebee was around, about how much "sweet alone time" he'd been getting with me, fully knowing how Bee felt about me. Knock Out knew it hurt Bee, and it more than irked me that he would be so blatant about our relationship, or whatever it was that was going on between us, but at the time I didn't know what I could do about it. _Tell Bee the truth or try to keep it hidden from him. Either way, he'll be crushed._

He stood a few yards away from me, moving aside so that two Vehicons carrying a long length of metal could get by him, one of them on each end of it. The metal looked to be quite heavy, as they were stumbling awkwardly and grunting with effort, and the Vehicon who was having to walk backwards to carry it nearly tripped over a chunk of something that was poking out of the ground. The second Vehicon sniggered.

I gazed down at my pedes, too ashamed to make optic contact. "Hey," I said quietly. I could feel my face heating up, and my cooling fans starting to whir. I figured that keeping Bumblebee out of the loop about Knock Out would be the best thing to do. But apparently, Knock Out didn't want that. It was his usual old self coming through.

"So… you and Knock Out, huh?" Bee asked; his voice rose and fell, then cracked in a failed attempt at nonchalance.

"No! I -" I exclaimed, louder than I had intended to be. Whipping my head up, I looked all around, and to my relief, no one else was within hearing range. They were all busy with work, and Bulkhead was a good distance away, shouting orders and helping heft around the larger, heavier metal chunks. I continued, this time more quietly, and watched Bulkhead as I spoke. "We're friends, I'll admit that. But he's just helping me with an internal circuits issue. Something in my arm," I said, grasping one of my arms to show emphasis. "I'd have Ratchet do it if he was here, but he's not, so-"

"You don't have to lie to me, Arcee," Bumblebee said. He moved closer towards me, and I glanced at him; he looked upset, but not angry. He clenched and unclenched his fists and looked down, uncertain. "Just… if he hurts you in any way, just tell me. Arcee, I-"

"Are you kidding?" I couldn't hide the rage that was now being directed at Bumblebee. "We can trust him! _I_ can trust him! The Decepticons are long gone. Who the frag would he betray us to?"

"That's not what I meant!" Bee said, startled by my sudden change of emotions. He bit his dermas. "I just… if you're getting into something serious with him, be careful. You know how he is. Please… I care about you."

My spark felt like it was being torn in half. I couldn't stand the look of absolute dejected sorrow in my friend's face. I'd known him for eons, but through that entire time I'd felt nothing other than sisterly love for him. I just could not see myself feeling any other way towards him, and it really did make me sad. "Bumblebee," I started, reaching out to him with my arm outstretched.

He turned on his heel and transformed, racing off before I had the chance to say anything more. He tore through a group of alarmed Vehicons and nearly ran over one of them in the process.

I stood rooted to the spot, listening to the sound of his engine fading as he drove farther away. I blinked and hung my head, finally letting my arm drop. "Oh, Cliff… what am I getting myself into?"

Entering the base with my chin held high, I headed towards Ultra Magnus. Knock Out was bent over an operation berth with his back to me, in the process of taking apart a spare Cybertronian limb. It had been a day since my confrontation with Bumblebee, and since then I'd been giving Knock Out the cold shoulder. A few times he had casually approached me while I was working and laid an arm around my shoulders, or had attempted some other way of touching me affectionately, but I shook him off, and without a word stormed away from him. It confused him, which infuriated me even more. _How __can he be so oblivious to what he's doing? _Each time I'd had to use all the willpower I had not to put a few dents in his armor.

"Ultra Magnus, sir." I stopped a ways behind the tall mech and waited for him to acknowledge me before continuing. Out of the corner of my optic, I could see that Knock Out had stopped what he was doing and was watching me. His stare burned into the back of my head, but I ignored him still, not sparing him a single glance. _He could use a little rejection, _I thought, crossing my arms.

Ultra Magnus looked down at me, authoritative but friendly. Besides his occasional snobbish personality and quirks in his appearance, he was just like Optimus; strong, noble, wise, and willing to lead his comrades into battle. He wasn't a replica of him, but he was good enough for the time being.

I flashed him a small smile. "Anything new?"

"Nothing unusual has come up," Ultra Magnus replied, holding his servos behind his back in his usual stance. "Which only further arouses my suspicions about that energon cave. Shockwave could be doing anything in there… including building an army of some sort. Could be recruiting some of the Vehicons; that would explain the random Vehicon disappearances." he turned back to face the computer screens, and I moved so that I was standing beside him. "He did it once with the Predacon remains, and I wouldn't eliminate the possibility of him doing it again, with other means. Nonetheless, I do not want to be kept in the dark any longer." as he talked, he typed commands on one of the screens, which prompted a set of coordinates to appear. His sharp gaze met mine. Seeing those coordinates on the screen, I could foresee what he was about to say.

"As soon as you're ready, I'll need you, along with a few others, to go back to the cave. I will lead the patrol." Ultra Magnus lifted his handicapped servo to his field of vision and curled his digits into a fist, glaring. "This time, with extra vigilance."

I could hear Knock Out huff angrily, probably refraining from starting the pointless argument with Ultra Magnus about coming along. I already knew who all would be part of the investigation: myself, Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee, Smokescreen, and Wheeljack. We were the only ones who were unoccupied and fit to fight, and there was no way Ultra Magnus would allow Knock Out to risk himself when he was the only doctor on Cybertron.

I couldn't help but smirk as I thought, _Too bad for him. Now he'll have some more time to think about his rudeness, and maybe apologize to me when I get back. Some time away from him definitely won't do me any harm._


	4. Chapter 4

Ultra Magnus took the lead as the ground bridge opened up, followed by Smokescreen, then Wheeljack, who whooped excitedly. "_Yeah! _Time to kick some Decepticon aft."

Bumblebee came next, not as enthusiastic but still full of vigor as he went in running.

I was last. I started for the bright glowing portal, but was forced to stop when a firm grip caught me by the wrist. "What?" I growled, not bothering to look back.

"I'm sorry, really." Knock Out said, his servo ever-so-lightly trailing down my arm until it reached my digits, making me shiver with pleasure. "I'll be nice from now on, I promise. Let me make it up to you."

It was the first time in nearly a week that I had let him speak even a few sentences to me. I didn't let it show, but I was getting fed up with ignoring him. And I definitely didn't want to admit it… but I missed him, his comforting touch, and his sweet words. I only wished that he would be as considerate towards everyone else as he was to me.

Sighing, I unwillingly pulled away from him. "We can talk about it when I get back. Now isn't the time." I looked him over, frowning. He appeared placid, but I could see the unmasked lust in his optics. Before he could say anything more, I turned and entered the ground bridge portal.

"What was the holdup?" Wheeljack turned in my direction when I made it through. We were about a mile away from the Energon cave, and the others were already making their way towards it, presumably at a different approach than the first time.

"Just Knock Out," I murmured, shifting out my Energon gun to take the place of one of my servos. "Nothing important."

Wheeljack chuckled, easily keeping pace next to me. "You and him, eh? I never would have imagined the two of you pairing up. He treat you well?" he asked in a mocking tone.

I felt my facial features quickly form a glare, and I didn't bother to look at Wheeljack. "Just fine, thanks."

The former Wrecker only laughed once again. Huffing indignantly, I sprinted ahead of him so I wouldn't have to deal with his scrap. Why was everyone else so against me being happy?

For the rest of the patrol that day, Ultra Magnus ordered that we only investigate the outside perimeter of the cave and search for any more signs of hidden traps. I tried to stay vigilant to the task, but my mind was flooded with thoughts of Knock Out. By the time we returned to base, it took everything in me to keep from dragging him off to my private quarters. Which I pretty much did, except instead of my quarters, we went to his.

"Anything new?" Knock Out turned from the computer screens that controlled the ground bridge, deactivating the portal once we had all made it through. Though he was addressing everyone, his optics were glued on me, scoping me out.

"Nope, nothing," I replied, grabbing him by the servo and taking him down the long, twisting and turning hallway that eventually led to his quarters. Knock Out willingly followed, lacing his digits between mine. He looked back at Ultra Magnus, who at first seemed as if he would protest the two of us leaving, but instead rolled his optics and mumbled something about young mechs and femmes not possessing a sense of self-control. I could feel the stares of everyone else as we hurriedly left, but I hotly kept my gaze set straight ahead of me, relieved that none of them verbally questioned my intentions.

"Mmm, what have you got in store for me, darling?" Knock Out asked once we were out of hearing range of the others, letting me lead the way through the dimly lit hallway. There were metallic doors lining both sides of the hall, leading to storage rooms and vacant living quarters once containing castes of Cybertronian laborers long ago, either of higher social ranking or lower, I did not know.

"I just want to talk," I said without looking at him. It was quiet around here, except for the sound of our pedes stepping on the floor as we went on. I knew where I was going from the last time Knock Out had brought me to his quarters, located at the very end of the building, and when we reached the door leading into his room, which required a password typed into the provided keypad to allow entrance, he pushed me up against it, and before I could object, kissed me without holding back. He pressed his body against mine and bit my lower lip, quickening the pace of our kissing and resting his servos on either side of my waist, grasping my armor. Reaching up towards his broad shoulders, I desperately kissed him back, thrilled with excitement. His cool breath, his gentle caress, the musky smell of his freshly buffed armor… it all drove me crazy, to the point where I did not, or could not, think rationally. I had initially wanted to discuss the issue of Bumblebee, but my neuro processor went completely out of whack at Knock Out's touch, and he knew it.

"Just want to talk, eh?" Knock Out asked, his voice husky. He slowly ran his pointed digits up and down my torso, sending shivers through my entire body.

A smile escaped my lips, in which Knock Out kissed once again. Laughing, I playfully tried to push him away. "Stop that. You know I can't…"

"Say no?" Knock Out ended my sentence for me as he reached to the side of the door and entered his password. His ability to read my thoughts was astounding. The door slid open, and Knock Out took me by surprise by lifting me off the ground with ease. "I'll gladly test you on that."

Bursting into a fit of giggles, I punched him lightly in the arm in mock protest. "Put me down!"

In response to this, Knock Out hefted me over his shoulder so that the front half of me was dangling over his back, and my rear end was right by his face. "Nice aft," he teased, carrying me into his room. The door closed behind us on its own, shutting out the rest of the world and leaving just the two of us together. Pounding on his back but making sure not to scratch or dent his armor, I continued to aimlessly struggle. My giggling died away when he set me down on his recharge berth and stood over me. I couldn't really tell whether he was admiring me or taunting me. Probably both. Putting his servos on his hips, he asked, "So… what would you like to discuss?"

Now that most of my senses were getting a break from him, my mind was sluggishly clearing. "Remember earlier today? About Bumblebee?"

"Ah… yes." Knock Out closed his optics for a brief moment. When he opened them, his expression was sincere. "And I truly am sorry. I just get jealous from time to time. You two have worked together for so long, and you've only really known me for a few months. And for most of that time, we haven't exactly been getting along."

"You have nothing to be jealous of," I said calmly. The turn of conversation surprised me a little, but I could understand Knock Out's point of view. "Bee always has been, and always will be like a brother to me. Nothing more. As for you…" I flashed him a sweet smile. "I'm still trying to get used to you."

Knock Out smirked, then gently laid me down on the berth and positioned himself over me, putting enough of his body weight on me to where he was pressed against me, but also carefully keeping from smothering me. After stealing another kiss, he said, "You are stunning. Now, in acceptance of my apology, you must do my bidding, which will consist of much coition, for as long as I wish."

I laughed, kissing him on the cheek. "And if I refuse?"

"You won't, love," he whispered, pressing his mouth to my neck. With a deep inhale, I wrapped my legs around his well-built waist, exposing my neck to him as much as I could. I gasped involuntarily, a wave of bliss coursing through me as he he nipped and sucked at the sensitive cable in my neck. Embracing him, I offlined my optics, relishing in the warm indulgence he gave me.


	5. Chapter 5

After the investigation of the energon cave, a plan was set the following day. That plan was to enter the cave, and brace ourselves for a fight.

Everyone gathered in the spacious Autobot base, except for the few dozen Vehicons who were set to the arduous task of rebuilding the city. Besides the Vehicons' current occupation, other reasons why they were not going to come along was because they didn't exactly possess adequate fighting skills, and only seemed to know how to serve as decoys and follow orders - so long as the orders weren't too complicated. Standing next to Knock Out, I looked over his shoulder at the the three screens he was entering information into; one contained the cave's coordinates, one showed the life signals of each Autobot preparing to set forth on this mission - myself, Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Smokescreen, and Wheeljack - and another showed a radar that displayed the energon levels emitting from the cave. It was the only location on Cybertron that showed energon levels of any kind, and it was extremely important that we made sure it was not in control of a wrongdoer, namely Shockwave. That energon was greatly needed by all Cybertronians who wished to see the planet return to what it once was before the wars destroyed it, and we were all willing to give our lives for this cause, just like Optimus had given his.

"Stay on guard for hidden explosives, and _stay together_ unless I say otherwise," Ultra Magnus said, narrowing his optics at Wheeljack.

The Wrecker, who was in an animated conversation with Bulkhead about methods of attack and self-defense, quieted down when Ultra Magnus spoke, giving him an unwavering glower. "You got it, _sir._" he said, putting emphasis on _sir _like it was an insult.

I could feel the tension between these two rising. _Just what we need, Wheeljack being a smart-aft, _I thought. _Ultra Magnus _could _try to not be so instigating._ Breaking the silence, I stepped between the two. "Understood. Now can we get going?"

"The ground bridge is ready for action," Knock Out chimed in, his back to the rest of the Autobots. He pressed the ground bridge activator/de-activator button, and the bright greenish portal opened up, stationed not too far from the main screens.

Wielding the Magnus hammer, Ultra Magnus grimly turned towards the portal. "Let's move," he said, and the next moment he was gone.

"C'mon Jackie, don't let him get to you." Bulkhead heartily slapped Wheeljack on the back as they entered the ground bridge together, the clang of armor against armor echoing through the base. Before I could hear Wheeljack's response, he and Bulk had already vanished. Smokescreen and Bumblebee were right behind them.

"Wait." Knock Out grabbed me by the servo. I looked up at him; he wasn't the largest mech around, but then again, I'm the shortest out of all the Autobots, so he still had quite an advantage on me in terms of height. He took me in, crimson optics softening for a brief nano-cycle, then leaned down and kissed me, causing "butterflies" - as humans would call it - to tickle my gas chamber. When I opened my optics, his usual mischievous expression was back. "Now you can go."

Rolling my optics, I dragged myself away from him and entered the ground bridge.

The cave was built into the face of an enormous cliff wall, miles away from Iacon. Our first notion that someone was residing in it came from the Vehicon standing guard at the entrance. The rest of the team and I hid behind the cover of the metal boulders that were strewn about the metallic plain.

"Bingo!" Smokescreen exclaimed rather loudly, peeking over the side of the boulder and eyeing the guard with an air of indignation. "Those Vehicons are traitors. We never should have -"

Bulkhead dragged him astern. "Don't blow our cover!"

Sheepish, Smokescreen backed down. "Sorry. But hey, I could use my phase shifter and take him out easy. He won't even see it coming!" he looked hopefully at Ultra Magnus. The tall leader crossed his arms and nodded an affirmative. Practically jumping with joy, Smokescreen activated the phase shifter he always kept strapped to his wrist and ran straight into the cliff wall, as if the wall was only a ghostly hologram, and disappeared from view. Even though I knew the phase shifter would keep him from slamming into the wall, I couldn't help but flinch watching him run headlong towards it.

"We'll have to do something about our Vehicons when we're done here," Bulkhead said, keeping an intent watch on the cave guard.

"Indeed," Ultra Magnus murmured, and that was when a muffled shout was heard. Moving ahead of the group, I could see the Vehicon, who lay motionless on the ground. Smokescreen stood beside the Con, looking this way and that before signaling with a wave that it was clear to proceed. Ultra Magnus warily led the way from behind the cover of boulders, stopping when we reached Smokescreen.

"The path in there," Smokescreen said, jerking his head towards the cave, "looks pretty straightforward. Shouldn't be too hard to find the base of operations." he nudged the unconscious Vehicon with his pede.

"Let's go." Ultra Magnus continued onward into the nebulousness of the cave entrance. Smokescreen and I followed him in; Bulkhead and Wheeljack were behind us, and Bumblebee took up the rear.

It wasn't long until we made it to Shockwave's hidden laboratory. Energon lamps spaced throughout the area provided decent lighting, and the first thing that caught my attention was the giant computer screen built into the wall. Across from this in the center of the lab, vertical holding tubes that could fit a Predacon within them stood like pillars, all filled with a clear, thick-looking liquid substance. There were two operational berths and a long table cluttered with small objects in the far corner of the lab, and in another corner was a smaller tunnel than the one we'd just came out of, leading deeper into the cave. Shockwave was nowhere to be seen.

"Proceed with utmost caution," Ultra Magnus ordered. Keeping our weapons at the ready, we followed him in. I started for the operational berths, checking out the contents of the table. Most of it consisted of surgical tools, but there were other devices mixed in that served darker purposes. I shuddered, trying to keep my mind clear of the flashbacks of my experiences with torture.

"You okay, Bumblebee?" I could hear Bulkhead asking from somewhere behind me. "I haven't heard you say a word since we left."

"Yeah, I'm alright," Bumblebee said, sounding distracted. "Just trying to focus on the mission."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

A long silence followed. Ignoring the guilt that was poking at me, I picked up an energon capsule that was among the things on the table, rotating it in my servos. It wasn't transparent like nearly all energon capsules were, and it was quite a bit heavier than it looked. A label, dirtied and undecipherable, was stuck near the lid. Rubbing a digit against it to get off some of the grime, I squinted my optics and read the single word that made my spark race with fear: tox-en.

"No…" Wheeljack breathed. I looked over to see the rest of the Autobots crowded around the computer screen. Their complete attention was fixed onto whatever was on that screen, and just behind them at the mouth of the smaller passageway, a hulking purple figure aimed it's menacing gun straight at them.

"Watch out!" I yelled, dropping the tox-en and tearing towards the group. Bumblebee was the first to see Shockwave. He darted out of range of Shockwave's fire and shot at him. Wheeljack activated his face mask and, unsheathing his sharp-edged swords, ran straight at the attacker. Myriads of Vehicons flooded into the lab from the tunnel, shooting their red laser guns mercilessly.

"Autobots, fall back!" Ultra Magnus roared over the commotion, grabbing a fallen Vehicon and chucking it at a group of assailants, causing them to scatter. I aimed with near-perfect precision and landed headshots almost every time I fired, but the Cons kept coming, overwhelming us with sheer numbers. I dodged a shot fired at me and scanned the crowd. The Autobots were together and edging towards the exit just as I was, all except for Wheeljack, who was in close combat against Shockwave.

"Wheeljack!" I backed towards the team, casting anxious glances at the Wrecker. With a final fierce blow at Shockwave, he jumped away from the Decepticon, hacking and slashing through the Vehicons until he had enough space to transform into his alt. mode. He raced off into the tunnel we'd came in through, and the rest of us did the same. The sound of speeding vehicles reverberated through the cave, my audio receptors screaming in protest. The Vehicons, some of which used flying alternate forms, gave chase close on our heels, firing with pitiless ferocity.

"Knock Out, this is Ultra Magnus to base, requesting a ground bridge to the immediate right of the cave's entrance," Ultra Magnus called into his comm. link, accelerating in his 8-wheeled truck mode. The light from the cave opening was within sight. I nearly sped ahead of the others without even reaching maximum speed as a shot grazed my back tire, racing next to Bumblebee. The two of us were the first ones to make it out; turning to the hard right, tires screeched against metal, we made it into the ground bridge.


	6. Chapter 6

It was impossible to believe what Shockwave had devised. According to the information on his computer, he'd found a way to create a toxic energon nuclear bomb, and in the side notes he'd typed with this formula, his intention was to leave Cybertron in irreparable ruins, to the point where it was permanently uninhabitable from lethal radiation. His cave was teeming with the stuff, and the fact that our group hadn't seen any of it while we'd been there gave us the affirmation that it was located deeper within the tunnel. Though he was still in the process of creating the bomb, it wouldn't be much longer until it was finished. We had a month, maybe longer, to figure out how to stop him, and after he was finished with the first part of his plan, he would move on to Earth and "recreate an ideal Cybertron, eliminating Autobot obstruction" as he had worded it. So to put it lightly, all of us were completely dumbfounded.

"If he follows through with this, he'll obliterate Cybertron," Bumblebee said, aghast. He narrowed his turquoise optics as if trying to contemplate the thought, then shook his head. "It's insane. _He's_ gone insane!"

"He must have lost his reason when the Decepticons fell apart," Bulkhead added, staring at the computer screens.

Wheeljack stepped forward, his burly servos clenched into tight fists. The wings on his back stood up aggressively, adding to his already extensive frame. "Let's take him down _now_! Before he finishes the bomb! Doesn't that seem like the easiest thing to do?"

I stood across from Wheeljack, next to Smokescreen and Knock Out. Ultra Magnus was the only one missing from the circle of Autobots, languidly pacing back and forth near the wall as if in a trance. Like him, I hadn't really been listening to everyone's distressed conversing. The concept of Shockwave's bomb left an empty sense of dread inside me, and I was forced to fight back a wave of nausea that came from it. _Why is he doing this? Didn't he want Cybertron back just as much as we did?_

"Didn't you see how many Vehicons there were?" Bulkhead replied to Wheeljack's outburst, incredulous. "We all know they're pushovers when they're alone, but when they're massed together like that… things can get bad."

"Shockwave says he's sending 'Cons to Earth to gather more energon, since there's not enough on this planet to fuel his bomb," I said, somehow managing to find my voice. An idea had came to me, and a very small ray of hope was lighting my sudden sense of dread. "Some of us could track them down and stop them. If we act now, we have a chance."

There was a brief period of quiet, but I could see that my proposition had the others thinking. "You're right," Ultra Magnus said, and all optics were on him. He had stopped pacing and was heading towards the rest of us, his brows furrowed. He moved his way to the middle of our loosely formed circle, uplifted by a positive change in spirit. "Four of you will use the space bridge to travel to Earth, and the rest of us will stay here and deal with the remaining Vehicons in our possession, as well as keep a close watch on Shockwave. We've defeated the Decepticons every other time before now, and by the AllSpark, if they think they're going to band back together and take us out now -" he paused, a deadly gleam in his optics. " - they're wrong."

I looked around at the faces of the Autobots, strengthened by a new sense of resolution. We could stop Shockwave, and I knew that every single mech here with me would use this chance to the best of their abilities to fight back and defend the fate of our planet, and Earth's as well. No matter what happened, I knew we could stop him as long as we stayed together.

"For Optimus," I whispered, chilled by a pang of grief for our former leader. He rested eternally in the Well of AllSparks, his ending to a long-lived existence having been bittersweet. With his self-sacrifice came the chance for Cybertron to thrive once more, but it also brought an intense feeling of anguish to the few Autobots left, and the realization that a Prime quite like him would never come around again. I raised my voice, the hurt I felt intermingling with and strengthening my courage. "For Optimus! For Cybertron!"

"For Optimus!" the others shouted in unison. Knock Out, who had the only pair of red optics among the shades of blues and greens, was surprisingly enthusiastic as he joined in on the vitalizing cheer. "For Cybertron!"

It was no doubt that the other Autobots had their suspicions of Knock Out, and probably didn't have a liking for his conceited personality, but he was a part of us now, and so far he had done nothing but benefit us. If the Decepticons really were returning, they had a huge disadvantage in not having a doctor of their own.

"Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee, Knock Out." Ultra Magnus looked each of us in the optics. We stood in a line at the space bridge machine just outside of the Autobot base. The sky above was darker than ever, and only a few of the shimmering stars were visible in their efforts to be seen. Another metal building, less than halfway constructed, stood to one side of us, casting a long shadow. "The restoration of the city-states must wait. I'm counting on all of you to do what's right, and to do it with superb efficiency. The very fate of Cybertron rests on our shoulders. Keep that in mind with every second that goes by."

Out of everyone, the four of us that were chosen to leave had the most experience with living on Earth – or, in Knock Out's case, hanging out among humans under the disguise of an alt. mode. During Megatron's leadership over the Decepticons and their countless attempts at taking over the planet, we had developed knowledge of Earth's geography and discovered countless energon locations. Plus, Knock Out had reminded everyone of the immense supply of energon in Greece that still remained at large, and so that was the first place our team would go in hopes that the Vehicons hadn't got there first.

Ultra Magnus flipped the space bridge's power switch, and the teleportation device came to life, producing a bright swirling portal similar to a ground bridge, the only difference being the distance of travel that it provided. Bumblebee and Bulkhead went in first. Knock Out was up next. Not wanting to waste precious time, I started for the bridge last.

"Arcee."

I looked over. Ultra Magnus nodded solemnly. "Good luck, sharpshooter."

With a smile I dipped my head to him and continued on my way, thinking to myself, _We'll need all the luck we can get._

The blinding sun shone in the pale blue sky, with hardly a cloud in sight. Earth's sky amazed me every time I looked upon it; it displayed far more beauty than that of the dullness of Cybertron's, as did its widely varying environments. Here in Greece, there were expanses of grassland and tall trees alongside dry, sandy excavation sites, most of which were run-down and hadn't been used by any human in years, and it was within these excavation sites that crystalline energon remained - hopefully - untouched. Even if a human were to stumble upon energon in any form, he or she would have no idea what it is, and wouldn't know what to do with it nonetheless.

Standing before us were ancient relics, of what could have been remnants of a society long extinct. Crumbled pillars and cracked sandstone walls made up most of what was left, and there was no roofing of any kind. Knock Out surveyed the area, poking at a decapitated statue's head that appeared to be an elegant-looking female human with his energon prod. "Nice décor here."

"They are called _ruins _for a reason," I said playfully, checking the small built-in screen in my arm that showed a map of our current location. "We're close, and there's definitely still energon around here. Lots of it, according to these readings."

Somewhere within the ruins, an explosion shook the ground. I looked up at the tops of the walls and saw a cloud of dust forming at the vicinity's far end. Raising an optical ridge, I gave Bulkhead a glance, then Bumblebee. Bolting for the entrance that was just big enough in height and width for all of us to fit through, I took the lead to find the source of the occurrence, though a sure idea of what it was had already came to my mind. I jumped over fallen rubble and climbed up chipped stairs of stone, skipping four to five steps at a time with ease. I'd already transformed my arm into an energon gun, and my circuits were pulsing with zeal. Knock Out and Bumblebee were right behind me, followed by a heavy-stepping Bulkhead.

The stairs and tiny rooms - tiny when compared to the size of us Autobots – offset by such gaping entryways, finally gave way to a clearing at the top floor. From where we had been at the bottom of the ruins, we couldn't see what was now revealed to us due to the area being surrounded by walls. A group of Vehicons had been drilling into the face of an imposing rock wall, but were now crowded around one of their allies who was collapsed on the ground, having reaped the result of shooting at energon in its raw liquid form. The energon that was contained in the rock wall was solid and crystalline, which was the way it was most commonly found.

"Need a little help there?" Bumblebee called out.

A few of the Vehicons turned in our direction. "Autobots!" one said, his voice rising in alarm. His cry was cut short as we surged to intercept the 'Cons, and though they outnumbered us three to one, I could tell from the start that they wouldn't stand a chance. Teaming up with Bumblebee we stood back to back as we fired at our enemies. I threw a quick glance at Knock Out; he was standing over the body of a fallen Vehicon, electrocuting the scrap out of the unfortunate thing with his prod, bright blue sparks dancing around him. Bulkhead, on the other hand, was using brute strength to take out the 'Cons, which had always been his favorite battle method. He slugged one of them on the side of the head, sending him flying backwards, and started for two more of them that he'd cornered.

Up on a high-rising ledge, a black and purple figure blurred and transformed from the air, landing with grace. If he possessed facial features of any kind, they were concealed behind the dark screen he wore.

"Soundwave," I muttered, glaring. So he _had _gotten out of the Shadowzone. He must have been the leader of these 'Cons. For a brief moment he was still as he surveyed the scene below him. Then, probably figuring that the Vehicons were good as dead, he swung around in the opposite direction and disappeared from view over the top of the ledge.

"Oh no you don't," I said, running from Bee's side. He only had two 'Cons left, and Bulkhead and Knock Out had three between the both of them. They could finish them off easily without me.

Just as I'd started climbing up the rocky wall, Bumblebee noticed me leaving. "Arcee! Where are you going?" he had to shout to be heard over all the gunfire and commotion.

"It's Soundwave! He's just up there." I indicated with my optics. "Cover me?" a shot was fired at me as I spoke, hitting the wall a digit-length away from my servo and causing a spray of pebbles to fly in every which direction.

"We'll be right behind you!" Bumblebee replied before deftly somersaulting to avoid a shot.

Without another word, I continued on my way, easily finding holds on the wall and making it to the top. Sand gave way to green grass, and a forest of firs and pines stood before me. Soundwave was nowhere in sight. I searched the clear sky for any sign of him, but it was empty as well. Resolute, I pushed by the rough tree branches, keeping up a fast pace. I rapidly traveled so far into the woods that I could scarcely hear the sounds of the fight, now only a distant undertone. The only noises were the crackling of a pine cone or a branch every once in a while when I stepped on one, and the rustling of the widely-spaced trees that the slight wind produced.

"What do you think you're doing, Arcee?" Knock Out's irritated voice came in through my comm. link, making me jump. "Don't you know how much danger you're in? This is Soundwave you're dealing with."

I sighed, trying to clear away the alarm I'd felt from him calling me. "I'll be fine. Besides, looks to me like he's already up and left. No sign of him anywhe-"

Something from behind me gave me a rough shove, forcing me to the ground. Landing on my servos and knees, I grunted and twisted around. Before I could react, two long tendrils darted straight at me with claws extended, gripping me on both sides of my neck without mercy. Soundwave stood over me in silent triumph, digging his claws into my armor until they pierced through and reached my sensitive protoform. I choked, unable to make a sound as pain seared through me, and I could feel energon leaking from my new wounds. I was flailing and grasping at the tendrils in an attempt to rip them off, but his hold on me was hopelessly strong, and right then my struggling was halted as jolts of electricity coursed through my body, frying my circuits and filling me with agonizing pain. My vision blacked out, then came back, then threatened to offline again, hazing over with painfully bright colors and blurring uncontrollably.

"Arcee?! What's going on? Arcee!" Knock Out sounded frantic through the comm. link. His fading voice was the last thing I heard before the pain became too much, and at last stasis overcame me.


	7. Chapter 7

I opened my optics to complete darkness. The first sensation that came to my attention was the sharp throbbing in my head that made me grit my dentures and cry out. Along with this was an aching soreness that intensified whenever I made even the slightest movement. My servos were being held together behind me with what felt like electric stasis cuffs, so tightly bound that they threatened to cut into my wrist armor.

_Where…? _The unpleasant pulsing in my head made it hard to form solid thoughts. The only thing I could see was a sickly green color, misting over my vision and causing my intake to lubricate and my stomach to do a flip-flop. "Frag… augh," I mumbled, rolling onto my back. In that moment, the memories came flooding into my processor, making my energon run cold. Soundwave had taken me to Primus knows where. I was alone. And the others… Knock Out…

Panic was mounting within me. I could feel a wall beside me, and I quickly wriggled around and used it for support until I was in a sitting position. I took deep breaths, trying to keep a calm composure. Panicking in a situation like this would only make things worse, and I had firsthand experience with being stuck in bad places. I'd been a fool to go off on my own, and now I was separated from the Autobots. For all I knew, they could be under imprisonment as well, maybe even _dead_, all because of my reckless hatred towards these worthless 'Cons. I had made it that much easier for them to get what they wanted: the demolition of Earth and Cybertron.

Trying to use my comm. link at this point, assuming that it was still functional, was futile. I couldn't reach it without seriously injuring myself, and I highly doubted that Soundwave would leave me with any means of communicating with other Autobots. The only option I had was to wait. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice cracking. Tilting my head up, I closed my optics and prayed to the AllSpark for the safety of my friends and the planets while enduring the continuous sting of physical pain and emotional indignity that I surely deserved.

I'd lost track of time, but it felt like not too much later when one of the walls sluggishly slid to one side, letting in a faint light. My headache had subsided for the most part, and I squinted as I tried to make out where I was. It appeared to be a hollow cube that I'd been trapped in this whole time, with no discernable openings of any kind. Standing at the entrance were two Vehicons. Their weapons weren't drawn, and they hadn't seen that I was conscious. I relaxed my posture and closed my optics, my mind racing with ideas of how to get out of here. Chances of escaping had just gone up, even if minutely.

"She's the only femme left, besides that glitch Airachnid," one of the 'Cons said. I could hear them shuffling towards me.

The other 'Con jeered. "Yeah, too bad Soundwave's offlining her for good." The two stood on either side of me, and the one who had spoken last brazenly groped my chassis armor. "Let's have some fun with her first."

Boiling over with indignation, I just barely kept from jerking away and erupting with relentless insults. Digits fumbling at my wrists made me stay frozen in place, and seconds later my servos were freed from the cuffs.

The second 'Con's servo slowly trailed down my torso. He chuckled. "She's pretty hot. I bet the traitor Knock Out fragged her -"

My optics flew open as I slammed my fist into the Vehicon's face. He stumbled backwards and fell over, limp. I sprang to my pedes as I speedily transformed my energon gun and blasted his buddy into the wall. Before he could retaliate, I pressed the razor edge on my wrist against his neck with force. "Are there any other Autobots in captivity here?" I demanded, holding my gun to his spark.

"N-no, just you!" the 'Con stuttered, squirming in discomfort. His red visor glowed like optics, but like Soundwave, not a single Vehicon possessed visible facial features, so for the time being I would have to settle with the coward's words, hoping it was the truth. I pushed the blade into him even more until he gagged, and then, not wanting to disobey the Autobot code of honor, I shoved him aside in disgust. With both of them dazed, I ran out of the room and started down the confined hallway before me.

Up ahead, the hall made a left and a right turn, and as I neared it I prepared myself to transform. Rounding the bend to the left, I screeched to a halt just in time to avoid crashing into none other than Soundwave, who loomed over me and stood blocking the way. He swiped at me with lightning speed, his hooked digits resembling pincers. I dodged his long-limbed reach by a stroke of luck and jumped back from him. Firing a distraction shot at his shoulder, I was pleased to see the bright bullet make contact with him, and I started in the opposite direction, transforming to my alt. mode and revving my engine as loudly as possible as I whizzed down the hall to the right of where I'd came from.

The hall was a one-way path, and in front of me I could see sunlight through a gaping exit. Behind me came a rapid, heavy pounding. Someone, or something, was pursuing me, and he or she was getting closer with startling speed. Angling my rearview mirror, I saw the large feline-shaped form of Ravage, who was about the same size as me in my alt. mode. I'd be damned to see the day when some cassette 'Con of Soundwave's moved as fast as me. But, since I couldn't activate my guns while in my alt. mode, I transformed, twisted around in mid-air to face the spike-covered creature, and let the bullets fly. Growling, Ravage dodged my attack and pounced at me, latching onto my arm with his obtrusive fangs denting my armor. I wrenched my arm back and forth, using my body weight to crush him against the wall. He was weighing me down, and at all costs I _had _to keep from falling to the ground with him on top of me. Moving my free arm, I frantically felt for Ravage's sole optic with the intent of damaging his sight at least somewhat. He didn't realize what I was trying to do until it had been done, and with a scream the beast promptly released me, stumbling around in circles and lashing his tail in fury.

"Don't mess with me, _'Con_," I said before turning away and transforming once again. I knew that Soundwave was listening and undoubtedly on the way with reinforcements, so I hightailed it out of there without further hesitation. When I made it outside, a strange sense of déjà vu came over me. These vast, empty desert lands… the outstretched highway off in the distance… I couldn't decide whether I was relieved or scared when I became aware that I was in Nevada.

It was difficult for me to obey the speed limit signs posted throughout the roads of Jasper. 25, 35, 45… they were all so slow, yet to avoid getting into a mix-up with the human law enforcement, I had to abide by their rules. When I came to a red light, I couldn't suppress an irritated sigh, which earned the female hologram who appeared to be driving me a look from a boy in a convertible in the lane next to me. After the light turned green from what seemed like ages later, I skidded on the pavement as I took off, leaving the surprised boy in the dust.

_Please, _please _be home, Jack, _I thought, worry gnawing at me as I pulled into the driveway of a humble two-story building and cut off my engine. There were no vehicles here, but I could see movement within the downstairs window. The curtains parted slightly, and Ms. Darby's small face came into view. She was staggered to see me, and a second later she had gone, and the garage door to the house creaked and groaned as it opened, allowing me entrance into the cool, well-cleaned room. Of course she recognized me. She had been one of the few humans who knew of the existence of the Transformer race, eventually having figured it out from Jack's mysterious excursions that he'd had no good explanation for. But she liked the Autobots, and had sworn to keep our presence among humans a secret, so that was all that mattered.

A smaller wooden door that led deeper into the house opened, revealing Jack Darby. He reached towards the wall for the garage door button without looking away from me, awed. "Arcee… were you in a fight?"

I transformed when the garage door had completely closed, giving my arm a nonchalant glance. I hadn't even realized how scratched up I was from Ravage, and at the time I didn't really care. Crouching in the limited amount of space, I studied Jack. He was handsome as always, with his shaggy black hair and lean frame. He hadn't changed much in appearance since we'd last seen each other. I sighed, looking over his shoulder to avoid optic to eye contact. "Yeah. You wouldn't believe what I got myself into this time."

Jack stood his ground, crossing his arms tightly. "Try me."

And so I told him what was going on, starting with Shockwave's plans, and then the Autobot mission to Earth, while being careful to leave out anything that had to do with my relationship to Knock Out. I figured that now wasn't the time to go in-depth about it in that moment. "And then… I came to you," I said softly, after briefly explaining how I'd been captured. My optics met with his look of astonishment. "My comm. link is fried. I don't have any way of contacting the others, and now -"

"I'll call Raf," Jack said, fumbling for the cell phone in the pocket of his jeans. "He can fix it. I know he can."

"They think I'm dead. I know it." I raised a servo to cover my face. "My comm. link isn't working, so my signal won't show up on the monitors at base," I said, observing Jack as he dialed in Raf's number. I couldn't even imagine how devastated Knock Out must have been, thinking that I was gone. Would he stay with the Autobots if he believed I would never be back? Or would he return to the Decepticons? Certainly it seemed like they were now "the winning team."

Jack raised the phone to his ear, watching me. "We have to try something. Hello? Hey, Raf," he said, his mouth forming a thin line. "Ah… I'll just give it to you straight out. Arcee's here, her comm. link's busted, and we're wondering if -" he stopped as if he was being interrupted, then nodded. "Great, see you soon." Hanging up, he smiled solemnly at me. "He's on the way."

I returned the smile with hesitation. The way Jack was reacting to the whole situation with such calm determination, even while knowing that the fate of his home planet was at stake, was amazing. He truly possessed the admirable qualities of a natural-born leader, and ever since I'd first met him, he was always there to remind me that when there's a will, there's a way.


End file.
